The 15th Five-Year Plan featuring opening up: China and the world sharing the future

BEIJING, March 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from China.org.cn on China’s new efforts on further opening up:

The year 2026 marks the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). At the “two sessions,” China announced its target GDP growth rate of 4.5 to 5 percent for this year. To achieve this goal anchored in high-quality development, China will no doubt continue expanding high-standard opening up, and pursue positive interactions with the international community toward a shared future.

For years, China has been the largest contributor to world economic growth. Take 2025 as an example. Against a backdrop of sluggish economic recovery and mounting uncertainties, China’s GDP still grew by 5%, with its volume surpassing 140 trillion yuan (about 20 trillion U.S. dollars) for the first time. These figures underscore China’s role as a stabilizing anchor and a growth engine for the world economy. Such “stability” and “growth” mean resilience and certainty for foreign investors and international companies.

Sharing opportunities and pursuing common development has long been China’s approach. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China’s total foreign trade volume exceeded 200 trillion yuan, a 40 percent increase compared with that of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. China has become a major trading partner for over 160 countries and regions, and in 2025, trade between China and at least 60 percent of the countries across the five continents recorded growth, which testifies to an ever-expanding global trade “circle of friends”. Besides the increase in scale, “green development” and “innovation” are adding new dimensions to China’s high-standard opening-up. In recent years, Chinese battery manufacturers like CATL and Sunwoda have established plants in European countries like Germany and Hungary, expanding their own markets while helping build localized supply chains for European automakers such as BMW and Volkswagen, achieving win-win results. Multinational corporations like AstraZeneca and Schneider Electric have also established major strategic R&D centers in China. These attest to the fact that through more profound opening-up, China is deepening integration with other countries across the industrial and innovation chains for mutual benefit.

At a time when global economic growth is slowing, geopolitical tensions persist, policy uncertainty lingers, and trade costs continue to rise, China is responding with institutional opening up, creating a secure and reliable destination for foreign investment. From the continued shortening of the negative list for foreign investment, to the complete removal of market access restrictions in the manufacturing sector, and the ongoing independent customs operation of the Hainan Free Trade Port, the appeal of “invest in China” is becoming increasingly evident.

At this year’s “two sessions,” a fresh round of signals on expanding opening-up was released in quick succession: China will expand market access and open more sectors, particularly the service industry. Pilot opening-up programs will be broadened in fields such as value-added telecom services, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals. The negative list for cross-border trade in services will be further shortened. National treatment for foreign-invested companies will be better ensured, and a new version of the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment will be implemented… This series of concrete policy measures has set a more defined direction and clearer roadmap forward for China’s high-standard opening up.

China’s development has never been a solo performance, but rather a symphony with the rest of the world — one that stresses win-win outcomes and shared growth. Looking ahead, the world can expect China to continue embracing greater openness, advance institutional opening-up, and create a steady stream of opportunities, working with other countries to sail toward a vast ocean of shared prosperity.

China Mosaic 
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

The 15th Five-Year Plan featuring opening up: China and the world sharing the future
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2026-03/07/content_118368489.shtml

SOURCE China.org.cn